Those religions -- including Islam, voodoo and Yoruba -- are still practiced in the United States. In fact, Islam is one of the fastest growing religions among African-American people in the United States.

The genesis of these doctrines reach far beyond black people’s experiences in the United States. African-American Christianity that emerged in the United States in the 1700s was the result of evangelization by slave owners. In other words, the Christian religion was forced on blacks just as the system forced their labor and their entire lifestyle.

All of this fascinating, and tragic, history can be found in a new book, "Varieties of African American Religious Experience," by Anthony Pinn (Fortress Press, $20). The book reaches deep into the history of black America to discover the origins of current religious practice.

In a recent interview, Pinn said religion in the African-American community is just beginning to develop.

"We have misunderstood the religious landscape in the United States," he said. "And we have especially misunderstood black religion believing that if you are black and religious you are Christian."

Pinn said there is evidence the slave trade in America began in the 16th century, yet slaves were not evangelized into Christianity until the 18th century.

The questions for the historians are many. In that 200-year period, how were African-Americans worshiping? Pinn’s research shows black slaves were using their native religions to energize their souls.

Pinn himself visited a voodoo temple in New Orleans and witnessed a ritual that included trances and the removal of negative energy.

"This was accomplished by placing each person on her back, one at a time, and spinning the person around. (The priestess) then proceeded to move her hands over the person in a way that symbolically removed negative influences and forces," he said.

Pinn says he is not experiencing these religions to determine whether they are authentic or helpful. "It works for these people," Pinn said. "I’m interested in knowing what the theological underpinnings are and the rituals. I’m not interested in the merits of these religions. My interest is to do a description of the U.S. religious landscape."

Sometimes finding authentic religious practices in America is not an easy task. Those who practice native religions such as Yoruba and voodoo often hide their involvement. Some may worship in their Catholic or Protestant church on Sunday and practice voodoo or Yoruba during the week.

Pinn, a professor of religion at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minn., also spent a week in a South Carolina community that practices and teaches a modified version of Yoruba or Santeria. The community is called Oyotunji Village and is headed by a chief, Adefunmi, who was made king of the village during a 1982 visit to Nigeria, Pinn said. Residents of the village are devoted to the expansion of their religion.

But, by far the best known religion being practiced in the United States by African-Americans, other than Christianity, is Islam, a religion that has flourished in many African and Middle Eastern nations for hundreds of years. Most of us remember the emergence of blacks in the Nation of Islam in the 1960s, but Pinn says Islam can be traced to the early days of slavery. In 1930, a man named W.D. Fard appeared in Detroit and became the earliest proponent in America of a return to Islam.

Fard became God incarnate to some blacks, including Elijah Muhammad, the founder of the Nation of Islam, and one of his most ardent followers, Malcolm X.

Through all kinds of difficulties, Elijah Muhammad established temples in the eastern United States and as far west as Chicago. The Nation of Islam became a foundation for many young black people across the United States.

Pinn very carefully reconstructs the complicated history of religion for black Americans and finds a rich tapestry of experiences that may help shape their community in the 21st century.

Clark D. Morphew